Hearts of electorate also have to be won: Michael Palmer

With the current electorate being more informed and engaged in policies affecting them, it is now more important to not just win over their minds, but their hearts as well.

That is something which the People’s Action Party (PAP) has not been doing well in recent years as compared to the past, Speaker of Parliament Michael Palmer acknowledged.

In the recent issue of the party’s magazine Petir, he noted that the government faces a different electorate, one which is more “vocal”, and that this is a product of the policies imposed by the PAP government.

“As Singaporeans become even more educated, more sophisticated and more vocal, it becomes even more essential to appeal not only to their minds, but also win their hearts, something which the Party may have done less well in recent times compared to many years before,” said Palmer, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Punggol East single-member constituency.

But an active citizenry, he pointed out, is a development which bodes well for the country, adding that the opposition now is also of a different quality.

And while there have been “spirited exchanges” among MPs since Parliament opened on 10 October, Palmer reminded MPs that they should not allow this to derail from achieving the bigger agenda, which is taking into account the country’s stability, progress and the best interests of Singaporeans.

He said that one should not also be quick to “attack” the ideas suggested by the other just because it came from the opposing team. Palmer added that MPs who raised alternative solutions must also be able to look at the wider scope of things and accept that their approach might not be the best to tackle certain policies.

“In the process of debate, where issues are taken apart, examined and explored rigorously and vigorously, we strive to arrive at policies and solutions that will best serve our nation and our people,” he noted in the publication.